Theory of Change

Outdoor Outreach utilizes outdoor physical experiences to provide youth with the support, relationships, resources and opportunities they need to become successful adults. Two primary drivers facilitate positive transformation in the youth we serve:  the opportunity for ongoing, outdoor experiences that are safe, fun, positive and challenging, and the relationships developed with supportive adult role models.

The Experience:

Youth experience amazing natural environments outside their day-to-day reality and have the opportunity to be physically, mentally and emotionally challenged in a safe way. Through the experiences, they garner a sense of achievement, which increases their confidence, self-esteem and resilience, and enables them to see new possibilities for their lives.

The  Relationship:

The youth form long-term mentor relationships through the outdoor experiences. When the staff and volunteers model possibility and positivity and consistently show up to support the youth, it allows them to break out of the negative cycles in their lives, like drugs, gangs, poverty, abuse, and neglect, and replace them with new positive cycles.